Annmarie Holligan is a Project Manager at BT Group working in Corporate Affairs. In her feature, Annmarie explores how her heritage and upbringing led her to roles that involved high levels of accuracy, planning, and attention to detail. She reflects on how she initially broke into the Corporate Affairs space some 18 years ago and her challenges in navigating that space. Annmarie is also on the committee of BT Group’s multiethnic and multicultural network group, The Ethnic Diversity Network, who won at the 2023 Ethnicity Awards.
Annmarie Holligan: My Journey
I am British-born, and my parents came to the UK from St Vincent in the Caribbean in the 1960s. I work for BT Group as a Campaigns and Planning Project Manager within Corporate Affairs. It’s quite a varied role and I work on several different projects, but the core part of my role involves strategic planning. This involves driving impactful initiatives that align with our broader corporate strategy. I also lead on business continuity management for my unit where I’m responsible for the delivery of robust plans to demonstrate our business unit’s level of preparedness to maintain critical functions after an emergency or disruption, such as the pandemic.
My role is such that I can be pulled into anything across that corporate affairs function, it certainly keeps the job interesting. In my previous role, still within BT Group, I worked as a Programme Delivery Manager within Public affairs. This was more on the political side and consisted of end-to-end event management with key political stakeholders and execs. When a reorg took place within the function I worked in, it coincided with me having a casual chat with someone who then shared they were building a new team and asked if I would be interested in applying for a position as a Project Manager.
I decided to apply despite it asking for certain qualifications, because I saw I had the skillsets of communication, being able to lead, plan, problem-solve, and so on. I applied and got it! I now say to people when I mentor them to not be caught up on not having all the requirements listed in a job description, but to apply anyway. As women of colour often we restrict ourselves in putting ourselves out there for opportunities by thinking we need to be ticking all the boxes. Leaning into these opportunities and asking ourselves, “what’s the worst that could happen?” is something I’ve found extremely beneficial.
Growing up, I was told I had to be twice as good for half the reward and that I had to do my best to avoid failing. I have leaned towards roles that rely on a lot of planning, structure, and attention to detail – this is definitely an influence of my upbringing and my heritage. In my head, I am always striving for perfection or as near to it as possible. I internalised that I may not receive the same grace others might, and it certainly reflects in my work ethic. I feel I can’t turn in something 80% done, it must be 100%!
Mentoring is something that brings me a lot of joy. I enjoy mentoring young women who are coming up in BT Group and guiding them through navigating the challenges I had to face. There are a lot of things that we have to navigate in the world these days, so helping them expand their networks, being a sounding board, and other aspects of their career development, is very rewarding.
I would have loved to have had that experience much earlier in my career, though I’m fortunate now to have a great professional and personal support network. One of my proudest achievements is breaking into the Corporate Affairs space 18 years ago. Trying to navigate that space without seeing anyone who looked who like me was challenging. Now, I am in a position where I can offer guidance to others.
The most recent DEI initiative I‘m leading on is a 12-month pilot programme: One Community. It is in partnership with one of BT Group’s strategic partners, McKinsey & Company, which provides opportunities for Black colleagues to network, learn together and explore career development opportunities.
My proudest moments involve being a part of the award-winning Ethnic Diversity Network (EDN) at BT Group. This has been a part of my journey into DEI. Looking back, it was a small group of us with really demanding roles who were part of the EDN committee, helping drive strategic change across the business. We recognise that we have been instrumental in these changes, such as Ethnicity Pay Gap (EPG) reporting at BT Group.
We have made a strong impact in the company, mainly by becoming a strategic partner of the business. We were involved in the creation of our Ethnicity Action Plan, having D&I metrics on our BT Group scorecard, and pushing our ethnicity data declaration campaign ‘I declare because…’. We have been involved in monumental changes and I am proud to be a part of our network group and its legacy.
For young women navigating their careers, I give the same advice I would give to my mentees. Build your networks and surround yourself with supportive people. A support network in your career journey is invaluable.
